TOKYO, March 24, 2017 — Electronics manufacturer Mitsubishi Electric Corp. has developed technologies for automated mapping and the extraction of transitions in a mapping landscape, intended for use in autonomous driving. 

The technologies are based on artificial intelligence and the company’s own Mobile Mapping System (MMS) for highly precise 3D maps that provide static information of roads and surrounding objects, intending to form the basis for dynamic maps. Mitsubishi Electric aims to contribute to the early implementation of maps that offer constantly updated dynamic information such as traffic signals, surrounding vehicles and other variables, for safe, highly precise autonomous driving. 

MMS provides 3D positional information of roads and roadside structures with precision within 10 cm or less, which is collected through a system of laser scanners, cameras and GPS antennas while driving. Artificial intelligence improves the precision of extraction and recognition of the only data necessary, resulting in some 10-times-faster map creation compared to industry-standard manual creation. The system also costs less than conventional methods. 

Mitsubishi Electric is a developer of electronics for air-conditioning, automotive, building, energy and automation systems, among other areas.